The Master's Eyes: Growing Up
by Florida's Firefly
Summary: The sequel to "The Master's Eyes". This is a collection of drabbles following little, red panda cub Netra's growth after he is brought into the Jade Palace by Po and the Five as a newborn.


_Surprise! I decided that, in my pursuit of my 100 theme drabble challenge, I'm going to follow up "The Master's Eyes" with a series of drabbles about the years growing up with lil' Netra. In the same fashion as "A Young Master In Training", Netra's age may bounce back and forth from chapter to chapter, so bear with me. (Haha, panda pun.)_

_Enjoy!_

_Netra belongs to me! All other characters belong to Dreamworks Animation_

_**Just Like Po-ba**_

_**Netra's age: about 1 yr, 6 months**_

Po went racing through the garden faster than was his usual pace. How in the world did that kid get so fast as to be able to just slip away without a sound? He'd blame Mantis for that later.

He feared that Netra had scurried off to the training hall, which thus far he had only seen from the arms of one of his caretakers. He had been told he wasn't supposed to go near the training equipment by himself, at least not until he was older. He seemed, however, to be starting his "terrible twos" a few months early.

Dread washed over him when he saw the door to the training hall gaping wide open and he quickened his pace. Anything could've happened to his cub by now… He didn't want to even think of it. They _really_ needed to put a more toddler-proof lock on that door.

Practically flying up the small steps, he grabbed onto the door frame and swung around to look inside.

There was Netra, his little ringed tail swishing excitedly as he stood before the inactive Seven Swinging Clubs. His ears tilted back and his turned to look at the panting panda in the doorway.

"Po-ba!" He grinned, using the name he had made up for his adoptive dad. It would alter between that and 'Baba'. It didn't seem like he had gotten himself into any trouble yet… But with good news comes the flipside, which the cub quickly demonstrated. "Watch Netti!" he babbled happily, before promptly making a leap for the dormant serpent logs.

Dormant or not, he could've slipped on the logs, hit his little head, or have an unfortunate run-in with one of the spiny clubs hovering above. The pit of water beneath was just a perk. Po gave no attention on how all of this ran through his head in the mere half-second in which he leapt forward, sliding on his belly and barely catching Netra with one paw. Catching his breath, the Dragon Warrior started to climb to his feet and brought his other arm around to lift his cub up by the underarms.

"Netra, _no_," he tried to put some authority into his voice, repeating that two-letter word that he had gotten used to having to say about every day now. "You're not old enough for this stuff yet and you know that you're not supposed to be near it."

"Babaaaaa!" the cub protested, gazing up at him with pleading blue eyes.

"I know, I know," Po gathered Netra up into his arms and walked back towards the doorway. "If you promise to behave, maybe I'll teach you how to fight the adversary soon."

_The adversary…_ Netra peeked over the black fur of his baba's arm to where the canvas dummy loitered idly in the corner. The inanimate eyes and the crooked mouth just made it look like it was taunting him. _Face me now, great warrior!_

He smiled, wriggling out of Po's arm with surprising speed.

"Net—!" Po scrambled to keep his grip on him, but failed miserably.

The determined little cub's tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as he charged the sand-filled dummy. Trying to copy the ferocity of his Auntie Tigress, he leapt and delivered what resembled a punch to the adversary's face. "_Rraarr!_" he landed back in front of his opponent and smiled when he saw how far he had caused it to lean back. And, almost as soon as that happened, it came charging back and slammed into the poor red panda cub, knocking him onto his haunches. Almost instantly, he started wailing and crying and ran to his baba with arms outstretched.

_Like father, like son…_ Po sighed and bended down to scoop his wayward cub up into his big arms. A quick check confirmed that he hadn't prematurely lost any of his baby teeth.

He walked back out to the garden and towards the bunkhouse, scratching Netra comfortingly behind the ears. "See what happens when you try to be a little _too_ much like Po-ba?"


End file.
